ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Album Notes

Founded in 2000 by Professor Mick Moloney, The Washington Square Harp and Shamrock Orchestra (or WSHSO, for short) is based at New York University and made up of musicians from the City’s Irish music community. The WSHSO plays traditional Irish music and recalls the Irish-American dance bands of the early twentieth century, like The Four Provinces Orchestra, Dan Sullivan’s Shamrock Band, Pat Roche’s Harp and Shamrock Orchestra, and Erin’s Pride Orchestra.

The WSHSO performs regularly and has appeared at Symphony Space, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, the American Irish Historical Society, the Consulate General of Ireland in New York, the Irish Arts Center, Town Hall, the University Club, the Manhattan Club at Rosie O’Grady’s, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, WFUV radio, New York’s City Hall, Battery Park, South Street Seaport Museum and, of course, NYU’s Glucksman Ireland House.

The opening bars of track 2 ("Since Maggie Dooley Learned The Hooley Hooley") sound like the soundtrack of an Irish themed Little Rascals episode, and that pretty much defines this wonderful recording. This is Irish American music, as heard on the 78 rpm records from the 1920's through the 1950's, the Vaudeville stage, and countless black and white movie soundtracks. It is gorgeous, bouncy, infectious, joyful music.

I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I do. It brings me back to the sounds of my childhood - records played by my Irish American parents on the old 78 Victrola (ok, I'm not as old as that might suggest, but my parents were depression babies and would not throw out anything that still worked).

Some time back, Mick Moloney (Ph.D., faculty at New York University in the Irish Studies program) discovered Irish American Vaudeville music, and it must have been a revelation to him. Just imagine, to be raised in Ireland and steeped in Irish traditional music, and then, upon emigrating to America, to discover a whole "Irish" musical subculture that had mutated from its roots to become something distinctly American. For Mick, this was apparently as astounding as discovering bluegrass and its Irish roots. As an American of Irish heritage, I grew up with much of this music, and I tended to dismiss it as a sort of derogatory stereotype of Irishness. I had not, until now, shared Mick's enthusiasm. Well, this recording has opened my eyes.

The recording quality is fabulous. The musicians are top notch. Perhaps due to the presence of a piccolo, the orchestral sound of the old recordings and movies is wonderfully recreated here. If you ever pined for the chance to hear some of those old 78's as they would sound today, this is your answer. Many attempts to recreate that sound seem overly "polite" (The recordings of the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, which I do greatly enjoy, come to mind), but this music suffers none of that. It is alive; played with the freshness of enthusiastic musicians who are not hide-bound with respect for the music, but rather inspired by their discovery of this "new" and vital music.

The musicians are well known among the New York City Irish traditional music community, but except for Mick Moloney, might not be well known elsewhere. Most would qualify for the title of amateur (based on little to no income earned by playing) but the quality of their music gives the lie to that title. It wonderful to have them recorded. I particularly enjoyed Don Meade's harmonica on Dermot Grogan's Favorite - Dermot was a mutual friend and great musician who sadly passed away at a too-young age a few years ago. The instrumental tracks are just so bouncy, so fun, that you will be bouncing along with them. There is beautiful singing here as well that will have you looking for more recordings of the singers that, sadly, do not yet exist.

Thanks to Mick Moloney, that great impresario of everything Irish, for, once again, bringing a wonderful musical group to our attention.

The opening bars of track 2 ("Since Maggie Dooley Learned The Hooley Hooley") sound like the soundtrack of an Irish themed Little Rascals episode, and that pretty much defines this wonderful recording. This is Irish American music, as heard on the 78 rpm records from the 1920's through the 1950's, the Vaudeville stage, and countless black and white movie soundtracks. It is gorgeous, bouncy, infectious, joyful music.

I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I do. It brings me back to the sounds of my childhood - records played by my Irish American parents on the old 78 Victrola (ok, I'm not as old as that might suggest, but my parents were depression babies and would not throw out anything that still worked).

Some time back, Mick Moloney (Ph.D., faculty at New York University in the Irish Studies program) discovered Irish American Vaudeville music, and it must have been a revelation to him. Just imagine, to be raised in Ireland and steeped in Irish traditional music, and then, upon emigrating to America, to discover a whole "Irish" musical subculture that had mutated from its roots to become something distinctly American. For Mick, this was apparently as astounding as discovering bluegrass and its Irish roots. As an American of Irish heritage, I grew up with much of this music, and I tended to dismiss it as a sort of derogatory stereotype of Irishness. I had not, until now, shared Mick's enthusiasm. Well, this recording has opened my eyes.

The recording quality is fabulous. The musicians are top notch. Perhaps due to the presence of a piccolo, the orchestral sound of the old recordings and movies is wonderfully recreated here. If you ever pined for the chance to hear some of those old 78's as they would sound today, this is your answer. Many attempts to recreate that sound seem overly "polite" (The recordings of the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, which I do greatly enjoy, come to mind), but this music suffers none of that. It is alive; played with the freshness of enthusiastic musicians who are not hide-bound with respect for the music, but rather inspired by their discovery of this "new" and vital music.

The musicians are well known among the New York City Irish traditional music community, but except for Mick Moloney, might not be well known elsewhere. Most would qualify for the title of amateur (based on little to no income earned by playing) but the quality of their music gives the lie to that title. It wonderful to have them recorded. I particularly enjoyed Don Meade's harmonica on Dermot Grogan's Favorite - Dermot was a mutual friend and great musician who sadly passed away at a too-young age a few years ago. The instrumental tracks are just so bouncy, so fun, that you will be bouncing along with them. There is beautiful singing here as well that will have you looking for more recordings of the singers that, sadly, do not yet exist.

Thanks to Mick Moloney, that great impresario of everything Irish, for, once again, bringing a wonderful musical group to our attention.

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